Lindsey’s Daily Deal: It’s Not TV—It’s BigTV, Pacino’s Big Pimpin’ and How To Ruin Your Life

By Lindsey Campbell, Captains of Industry

Hey Captains’ readers,

Here’s your Tuesday Deal:

1. It’s not TV. It’s BigTV.

Lauren Lloyd is kind of a big deal. She’s produced over 60 movies in Hollywood, and also acted as a casting director and big shot studio executive—go on, brush ya shoulders off, girl. Lloyd proclaims that she was in the movie biz because she’s a sucker for good content, so when YouTube was born, she was pretty jazzed that content was back in the hands of the people, not just a small group of movie execs in The Wood. But, Lloyd was slightly horrified at some of the “content” people were creating. Apparently, watching someone’s cat take a dump on the toilet just wasn’t her cup of tea. So, she decided to take matters into her own hands and created BigTV. According to Lloyd, it’s “Oprah meets YouTube.” Meaning, it’s a place for people to discuss and share their mutual passions. But, don’t get it twisted. BigTV isn’t some boring, scripted, run of the mill-type web channel for content that makes you want to bang your head against the wall. No, no, no. Llyod wanted BigTV to be chock-full of content for real people, by real people. In fact, BigTV already has a variety of shows for you to indulge in. They range from “The Unemployment Chronicles,” the story of a man trying to find a job he actually likes, to a show called “The Downtown Pirate,” a story about an LA homeless man who dresses in complete pirate regalia—right down to the patch. So, if you’re in the mood for some good content, check out BigTV. In the words of Lauren Lloyd, it’s pretty freaking sweet.

2. That’s how you know it’s a Pacino script

After playing one of the most powerful crime lords in history, Al Pacino decided to pimp something a little more PG. In his latest product endorsement, a commercial for Vittoria Coffee, Pacino describes how important the ritual of drinking coffee is when he’s making a movie. Check out the spot set to air this month in Australia. The copy is mediocre at best, but Pacino still makes drinking coffee seem badass.

3. How to ruin your life

Well, professionally anyway. M.P. Freidman at MarketingProfs began writing an article a week or so ago about the top mistakes marketers tend to make when it comes to their brands, businesses and careers. Since then, the list has grown to an unlucky thirteen. Gulp. According to Freidman, the top three mistakes are:

1. Thinking that you’ll “make it up in volume.”
You can’t—learn to mind the numbers and master them. Grow margin. Face the brutal realities. And don’t believe everything a brand manager promises you.

2. Undermining the competition.
Don’t think the competition is something you shouldn’t sweat. It’s not fun to get taken by surprise. Doing your homework and understanding your competitors’ weaknesses is the only way to gain the advantage in this ever-changing market.

3. Neglecting to initiate in powerful-real-time conversations.
Other people need to know what you know. And you need to know what others know. Even internal conversations are important. You might think you have the best idea, but you’ll find that going over it with your team will almost always take it beyond what anyone could have imagined.

Check out the rest of Freidman’s marketing lessons, and pass them on to the rest of your team. Even if they seem like a slam-dunk to you, they might be news to someone else.

If you’re digging the videos in the Deal, and you think they’d work for your company, check out the Captains’ Video Content Portfolio.

Until tomorrow,

Captain Lindsey